Tag Archives: New York Times

The New York Times Loves Vacation Rentals Too!

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Seaside Vacations - Sandy Oasis

Seaside Vacations - Sandy Oasis

The New York Times recently ran an article about the great amenities vacation rental homes offer.  The NYT mentioned that due diligence is a must with vacation rental homes.  Unlike hotels, there is no brand-standard that you can expect from individual vacation homes, so it’s important to make sure the end product is what you expect.  Renting from a well-established property management company is a great start, but it is always wise to ask a few questions to ensure the quality.

As a follow-up to the original article, the New York Times ran a second article highlighting questions you should consider when renting a vacation rental home, and speaking from experience on both sides of the vacation rental business (guest and renter), I can assure you that these questions are well worth the time and effort it will take to ponder the answers, and every homeowner and/or property manager should be happy to answer these questions for you.

  • Location: Be sure to ask for specifics about the location, including the kind of details you may not be able to tell just from looking at a map; view, distance to attractions and stores.
  • Configuration: You should ask for details about how the house sleeps the number of people it claims to sleep as well as where and how big the bedrooms and bathrooms are.
  • Child and Pet Friendly: If the house is described as “child friendly” or “pet friendly,” make sure to ask for the property’s definition of those terms since they may not necessarily line up with how you define them.
  • Surroundings/Activities: Be sure to ask the homeowner or property manager for recommendations of favorite places to eat and things to do so you can vacation like a local rather than as a tourist.
    • PS – Take a look at our Club Seaside events…talk about living like a local!
  • Amenities: Ask about what kinds of household amenities are provided so you can determine whether you need to bring your own hair products, dish-washing detergent, seasonings for cooking, and whether you can just arrive and settle in or whether you’ll need to stop at the supermarket first.
  • Cleaning Fees: Ask for specifics about cleaning fees and surcharges and especially about if and when extra cleaning fees are charged.
  • Cancellation Policy, Keys and Problems: If the cancellation policy is not specified in the contract, be sure to ask about it, and how you’ll get the key. You should also be sure to ask for details about how far the property manager or emergency contact lives from the vacation rental should you need assistance.

Outer Banks Beginner Surf Covered in New York Times

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Great Outer Banks Surf

Great Outer Banks Surf

The New York Times recently covered an article by Ethan Todras-Whitehill that discusses a June bachelor party Ethan enjoyed on the Outer Banks learning how to surf.

Ethan and a close group of friends were looking for a “nontraditional bachelor party involving the outdoors,” and they landed on surf at the OBX…great choice.

The article does a great job of portraying the effort it takes to learn to surf and describes the Outer Banks surfing experience and why it is so conducive to learning.

Highlights:

  • Ethan noticed that at other popular East Coast surf locals, Long Island or New Jersey for instance, beginner surfers may irritate more experienced surfers in a crowded lineup and the crowded shoreline would definitely be amused by the lack of coordination a beginner surfer displays on the wobbly board.  “But on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, on a Friday morning in June, [his] surfing class was all alone.”  Pointing out that the Outer Banks “has enough room for every group of beachgoers, including surfers, to claim their sovereign territory.”  No worries about other surfers or an audience.
  • The article points out that in July 2009 Kill Devil Hills came in at #6 on Surfer magazine’s list of Top 10 Surf Towns.
  • Ethan points out how affordable the trip was; $1200 for a six bedroom house for the week.  Split between the group of friends, this was a fraction of what they would spend at a hotel and they got to enjoy the experience together in one house.  Vacation rentals are a great alternative.
  • The group was too tired from surfing to do much, but Ethan points out the OBX has a wide variety of attractions (in addition to the world-class beach); “The islands are dotted with wildlife refuges, national park land and historical landmarks like the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, and Roanoke Island, site of Sir Walter Raleigh’s mysterious Lost Colony.”
  • Ethan explained why the Outer Banks has such great surfing conditions, especially for beginners:  “Essentially, waves break when they encounter water that is shallower than they are tall — a three-foot wave will not break in four feet of water, for instance. The Outer Banks has what’s known as a beach or sandbar break, where a lip of sand provides the necessary lack of depth, allowing great surfing waves to break.  The foot-friendly floor of a beach break also means that first-time surfers can often walk their boards past the breakers instead of wasting time and energy paddling.”

Thanks for choosing the OBX for your nontraditional bachelor party, and thanks for the great write-up about the surfing conditions we love.  Please come back soon.

All Seaside Vacations guests have the opportunity to enjoy surfing lessons with some of the best instructors on the Outer Banks through Club Seaside.  Here’s a video of one of our lessons…